Exploring integral educational programming

In this FB IPS thread Zak Stein asked for examples of integral training programs. When a few offered criticism of those programs Zak noted there'd be time enough for that later, as his thread was just to find out about those programs in existence. This FB IPS thread is to explore that criticism. See it for the ongoing discussion.

How about forums such as this as legitimate integral educational programming? We have several academics here that share their knowledge to many that cannot afford institutional tuition. Plus there are quite a few bright and highly self-educated folks here that are not institutional academics who add astute analysis and innovative systhesis to the integral database.

There is a marked difference in educational approach between the standard academic degree credentialing model and the P2P peer credentialing model, the latter being an example of the emerging neo-Commons worldview where peers value each other on the actual merits of their contributions without requiring institutional degree authority. Which is not to say that any old view is of equivalent value. But smart folks, institutional or not, can tell when someone's views are intelligent, relevant, sound and make a contribution to a project or not. To just ignore or dismiss non-academics though, as if that is the only authority worth attention, is part and parcel of a rapidly defunct educational model as widely documented BY academics on the emerging neo-Commons and P2P movements.

The only jobs for graduates of integral degree programs are teaching within a university with integral programs or as entrepreneur selling the integral model to businesses. There are very few jobs in the former category, certainly not enough to hire all the people in such training programs. And many of those jobs are as independent contractors with low pay and no benefits. Aiding job placement has always been one of the responsibilities of educational programs and should be of any integral program as well. If there aren't enough academic jobs out there to support the number of students in such programs then such programs have the additional responsibility to create those jobs in their and other institutions, as well as create tenure-track jobs with job security and benefits.

The other job track assumes everyone else is an extroverted salesperson in addition to scholar-practitioner who can boldly forge their own way, which many are not. Which of course is part and parcel of the capitalistic rugged individualism myth. And that it's just fine to teach this stuff to any capitalist business that has the money because the model itself will transform said business into a benevolent integral company that will do the right thing by its employees and the environment. Which of course flies in the face of the ITC integral anticapitalism debate and real-time examples like Whole Foods.